Faith/World/Sects
|text= Sects The world of Faith is dominated by various sects - belief denominations such as schools of magic or religions - each of which may have its own magic system at the center of their beliefs. Each sect has, therefore, cultural trappings, administrative organizations, militaries, magical councils / priesthoods, and capabilities - with their attendant strengths and weaknesses. * Sects generally hold political power as well as religious, so any given region is likely to be significantly dominated by one sect with very little belief in any other sects, just as each land belongs to some nation or other. * Factions or denominations are the result of schisms within a sect. The factions each claim to be the true version of the sect but have distinct beliefs that set them apart from the other factions in the sect. * Orders are minor organizations working within the territory of territorial sects, which are distinct from the rest of the sect in some way but which still belong to the same faith (and may likely be within the sect's hierarchy system). Orders generally each fulfill a particular role and help round out the capabilities of the parent sect. Similarities between Neighboring Sects The world of Faith is a world filled with various sects, but all (orthodox) organizations in any given region share many of the same faiths. This is because: # they may be several factions that split from the same sect; # several orders which belong to or are aligned with the parent sect; # any given sect that has been around for a long time will draw some of its beliefs from neighboring sects, as this helps the sect retain legitimacy given that the neighboring sects have differing beliefs; # any new sect will generally have many of its ideas drawn from the existing sects in the area, as that helps give it legitimacy and makes the other sects less antagonistic toward it. Hence, faiths gradually change as you go from region to region, forming a gradient. As a result, for most people who don’t travel very far, their entire lives are spent within the territory of a single faith or at the borders between two very similar faiths; they do not notice any sudden jarring change at this boundary. Faith Types Oftentimes there may be multiple sects or factions that hold very similar core beliefs; these are grouped into "faith types". Below is a map of faith types. Each faith type shares similar beliefs with neighboring faith types (though it may not be immediately apparent). Note that the northwestern regions are more internal locus of control and focused on the "how to" of magic, whereas the southeastern regions are more external locus of control and focused on the "how come" of magic, which shows an enormous differential in cultures and approaches along the NW-SE axis. Also note that several related faith types can be further grouped together, ie. crafts, arts, words and deeds, which each have several faiths; and actions, which includes these four. At the top level there are actions to the northwest, objects in the middle, and spirits to the southeast. }}